You can often hear many enthusiastic stories about parks and green areas of Moscow. Indeed, sometimes it is striking that among the metropolis there are still islands of greenery, comfort and tranquility. This is very important for the population of large cities, because you still need to rest from the hustle and bustle. Of particular interest is Elk Island National Park. The biostation, which is located in the park, also deserves special attention.
A bit about the park itself
Elk Island is a well-known national park in Russia. Its area is really vast (about 116 sq. Km), it is located in Moscow and the Moscow region. The park consists of forests, ponds and swamps.
Of course, most of the land is occupied by forests; only 7% of the territory is allocated to water bodies and swamps. The park can be conditionally divided into 3 parts:
- area under special protection;
- a walking area and places for sports (mainly special routes are laid here, that is, visits are limited);
- relaxation area, which can be freely visited.
It is interesting that such a large territory consists of several smaller parks: Mytishchi, Schelkovsky, Alekseevsky and Losinopogonny. Within Moscow - Yauzsky and Losinoostrovsky.
Many people visit Elk Island National Park. The biostation located here especially attracts visitors.
Park history
Now it’s worth a little talk about how this unique natural zone was created, and also to note the main events of its history. The very first mention of this place dates back to 1406. Initially, the land was used as hunting ground for Russian tsars and princes. An interesting fact is known that in this locality Tsar Ivan the Terrible hunted bears. For many years there was a reserve regime.
After quite a long time, the first forestry was organized in this place. It was founded in 1842. Forestry carried out the regulation of the forest and its improvement. Around the same time, it can be said, the man-made creation of the forest. A large number of pines were planted, such plantings have been conducted for more than 100 years, many trees have survived to this day.
Biological station in Losiny Ostrov park: overview
As you know, on the territory of a huge national park there is a very unusual object - a moose biostation. The status of the national park implies not only environmental and scientific, but also environmental education. Within all these areas, it was decided to open the Elk Biostation. Now it’s worth figuring out what kind of project was created on the territory of Elk Island.
The biostation is a special area where moose is kept. The purpose of organizing such a territory is to rescue lost moose calves, provide assistance and feed them, as well as dilute the local population with individuals brought from other places.
Elk biostation in the Elk Island National Park already boasts many achievements. To enrich the animal population, three moose calves from the Kostroma elk farm were brought here. Here they were carefully looked after, raised, and after some time they were released into the wild. In order not to lose moose, they put on special collars, with which you could track the movement. Each year, the animals brought offspring. This practice is carried out here periodically.
Why is it worth visiting this place?
Many people seek to visit Elk Island National Park. The biostation is no exception, there are always visitors here. Here you can see really unusual things. It is especially interesting to look at the process of interaction and communication between animals. They make unusual sounds, there’s really little where you can hear. The employees of the biostation learned to reproduce similar sound effects, because it is very important when dealing with animals.
Such a trip will be especially informative for children. Looking at animals close up will be really interesting for the younger generation, this will cause interest in the study of biology.
